Battle for the GT Open Title Reaches Climax in Barcelona
• Ruberti-Bonetti (GPC Ferrari) fastest in Qualifying • All championship contenders in top positions • 60 cars to start the season’s last race
All the ingredients are present in the Circuit de Catalunya to ensure a great show and maximum suspense few hours ahead of the traditional 2-hour final race of the season which will decide who will win the second International GT Open championship: a 60 car-strong field, sunny and mild weather, a big crowd in the grandstands and, most of all, eight drivers that can still claim the title. In today’s qualifying, Paolo Ruberti and Alessandro Bonetti (the latter being the ‘eighth’ man in the battle for the title) claimed pole position at the wheel of their GPC Ferrari F430. All championship contenders finished very close in the top positions: Montermini-Maceratesi (Playteam Ferrari) took the other spot in the front row, ahead of the series leaders, Lietz-Camathias (Autorlando Porsche). Busnelli-Massironi (Playteam Ferrari) are 5 and Livio-Pasini (Advanced Engineering Ferrari) 7.
The latter were the only title candidates to be penalized, together with other six cars, with a 4-position drop in the grid for setting their fastest time under yellow flags, at the end of the two combined qualifying sessions (results are still provisional and the definitive grid will be published on Sunday morning). Fourth in the grid will be Spanish sportscar stars De Castro-Burgueño in the Mosler of the team Drivex, new to the series. The La Torre Viper of Romagnoli-Marchetti in GTS and the Lario Ferrari of Ciacci-Lario in GTB took the class poles.
PADDOCK RUNDOWN - Only two cars among the 64 entered did not show up: the Noël Del Bello Porsche and the Ferrari F430 Challenge of Sun-Red. Two other, among the top contenders, were physically present but were withdrawn for different reasons: the GPC Ferrari F430 #19 because of a “shortage” of drivers and the GTA Motor Mosler MT900R of Aicart-Guerrero, because of a unsolvable electronic problem. GPC has called in GT star Paolo Ruberti to race alongside Alessandro Bonetti (one of the championship contenders) in the Ferrari F430 #18. Another international GT star, Belgium’s Vincent Vosse joins Ferdinando Geri in the Lamborghini Gallardo of Racing Box, replacing Marco Cioci, still recovering from the horrific accident of some weeks ago in the Italian GT race in Monza. At Autorlando, Giuseppe Chiminelli is back in the second Porsche 997 RSR alongside Giovanni Sada.
Finally, the line-ups of the two Ferraris F430 of GT Sport are the following: Schroyen-Peyloret and Renard-Petit, while Gilles Vannelet joins Giacomo Petrobelli in his Ferrari F430. Magny-Cours result confirmed by FIA International Court of Appeal The FIA International Court of Appeal met in Paris 7 November to examine the appeal lodged by the Spanish Federation (RFEA) on behalf of RSV Motorsport against the decision of the French National Court of Appeal relating to the result of Race 2 of the Magny-Cours GT Open. The FIA International Court of Appeal hs ruled that the appeal could not be admitted. The result of the race and the championship standings are therefore confirmed.
QUALIFYING 1 – It is a clear domination by GPC Squadra Corse in Qualifying 1, Saturday morning, as the Italian squad places its two Ferrari F430 in the first two spots, with Ruberti fastest and Gianmaria 7 tenths behind. The Sun-Red of Gené is third and the Drivex Mosler of De Castro fourth, ahead of the two Playteam SaraFree Ferraris, while the Autorlando Porsche of Joel Camathias is only 12th fastest in this occasion. In GTS, brilliant performance of the Mik Corse Lamborghini, fastest with Giacomo Piccini ahead of the Viper of Marchetti and the Ferrari of Vannelet. In GTB, two Spanish Ferraris 430, driven by Joan Lario and Javier Díaz are ahead of the 430 of alessandro Nannini. Among cars having suffered some problems, the Sofrev ASP Ferrari 360 of Antony Beltoise, who could only do two laps.
QUALIFYING 2 – The second qualifying session, Saturday afternoon, saw three Ferrari F430 ahead of the field, with Michele Maceratesi imposing the Playteam SaraFree car ahead of Bonetti’s GPC and Pasini’s Advanced Engineering vehicles. Lietz in the Autorlando Porsche and the two impressive Lambo Gallardos of First Racing, which obviously top the GTS ranking with Leclerc and Amado. The Lario Ferrari (with Ciacci) is again fastest in GTB. Bad luck for Romero and the RSV Ferrari, trapped in the gravel after three laps.
STARTING GRID – The official starting grid for the race, based on the average of the best times in each session, will be published Sunday morning, after review of all times by the marshals. Seven cars will incur in a 4-position penalty for obtaining their best time under yellow flags. These are: #5 RSV Ferrari (Romero-Sundberg); #9 AE Ferrari (Frigerio-Gattuso); #10 AE Ferrari (Livio-Pasini); #15 Sun Red (Gené-Zapata); #16 Playteam Ferrari (Tedoldi-Pierguidi); #21 AE Ferrari (Marti-Santos); #23 GPC Ferrari (Roda-Gianmaria); #70 First Lamborghini (Dubrevil-Amado).
HANDICAPS – The Stewards of the meeting have decided that all handicaps will be extended by 7 seconds to compensate the 116 meters that all other non-handicaped vehicles must drive at 60 km/h when going through the zone in the pit-lane prepared for serving the handicap.
